1. Field of the Disclosure
The technology of the disclosure relates to fiber optic housings that support fiber optic modules to provide fiber optic equipment assemblies to support fiber optic connections.
2. Technical Background
The benefits of utilizing optical fiber include extremely wide bandwidth and low noise operation. Because of these advantages, optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications, including but not limited to broadband voice, video, and data transmission. As a result, fiber optic communications networks include a number of interconnection points at which multiple optical fibers are interconnected. Fiber optic communications networks also include a number of connection terminals, examples of which include, but are not limited to, network access point (NAP) enclosures, aerial closures, below grade closures, pedestals, optical network terminals (ONTs), and network interface devices (NIDs). In certain instances, the connection terminals include connector ports or nodes, typically opening through an external wall of the connection terminal. The connection terminals are used to establish optical connections between optical fibers terminated from the distribution cable and respective optical fibers of one or more “preconnectorized” drop cables, extended distribution cables, tether cables or branch cables, collectively referred to herein as “drop cables.” The connection terminals are used to readily extend fiber optic communications services to a subscriber. In this regard, fiber optic networks are being developed that deliver “fiber-to-the-curb” (FTTC), “fiber-to-the-business” (FTTB), “fiber-to-the-home” (FTTH) and “fiber-to-the-premises” (FTTP), referred to generically as “FTTx.”
In conventional FTTx deployments depicted in FIG. 1, a fiber optic network 10 is provided. The fiber optic network 10 may deliver service to subscribers 12 through optical fiber distribution cables 14 and subscriber cables 16. For example, the fiber optic network 10 may begin at a trunk cable 18 originating from a central office 20 leading to a splitter/splice cabinet 22 in the field where a distribution cable 14 is connected. The distribution cable 14 may then be routed aerially or below ground through the residential neighborhood served by the fiber optic network 10. The subscriber cables 16 servicing individual subscribers 12 may be connected with the distribution cable 14 through terminations at mid-span access points 24, branch cables 26, and multi-port splitter boxes 28. The central office 20 may be connected to a geographically-dispersed telecommunications network 30.
At the central office 20, signals may be combined on a single optical fiber 32 of the trunk cable 18 using a multiple access protocol, such as time division multiple access (TDMA). All the subscribers 12 may receive all signals transmitted on the single optical fiber 32 in their subscriber cable 16, but due to encryption may only be able to decipher the signals they have permission to utilize.
The central office 20 may include fiber optic equipment in at least one conventional rack 34 to support the fiber optic network 10; for example, the enhanced management frame (EMF) rack as shown in FIG. 2. The conventional rack 34 may have twenty-four conventional housings 36 wherein half are on the left 35 and half on the right 37.
As illustrated in FIG. 3A, each conventional housing 36 in this example contains six module holders 38 that may slide partially in and out of the conventional housing 36 on slider rails 40. A height dimension and a width dimension of the conventional housing 36 are depicted as H1 and W1 respectively. Conventional measurements dimensions for the width dimension W1 is 8.6-inches and 5.5-inches for the height H1 in this example. The conventional housing 36 is a non-U-width-sized housing because W1 is not 19-inches or 23-inches. As depicted in FIG. 3B, the module holder 38 may comprise a cover 44 and contain a fiber optic module 42 having twelve (12) fiber connections 46. The cover 44 may pivot to enclose the fiber optic module 42, which may be configured with splitters/couplers or wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) devices.
Generally, more signals may be delivered to subscribers if more fiber connections 46 were available on the conventional rack 34. As the subscribers 12 require more signal bandwidth, there is an unmet need for low-cost solutions at the central office 20 to provide more fiber connections 46 within the conventional rack 34.